Hands up who doesn’t love enamelware? I can’t see any hands 😉 To me nothing says farmhouse quite like a few enamel urns, plates and cups displayed on an open shelf in the kitchen. But, an enamel cup looks great in the bedroom too if you turn it into an electric lantern, like we did with this one.

Enamel cup lanterns

And they were surprisingly easy to make too. All you need, besides the enamel cup, is plaster of Paris, a plastic tube, electric wire, a light fitting and switch and a kerosene oil lamp. You only need the burner bit and the glass chimney that protects the flame. Just check that the burner bit fits nicely inside the enamel cups. Enamel cups usually come in three standard size, small, medium and large. To make the lantern we used the medium sized cups with a diameter of 8 cm (3 1/8”).

Enamel cups, lantern bits and a light fitting

Making the Enamel Cup Lanterns

Start by taking the burner bit of the oil lantern apart. The burner consists of three parts, the top, the body and the wick channel. The burner top and wick channel are held together with small tabs that are crimped into slots on the burner body. You should be able to use your fingers to gently lift the tabs and then pull the bits apart.

Taking the lantern apart

Use small pliers or tin snips to cut a hole just big enough for the light fitting in the burner top and burner body. Careful, the edges are sharp. File the sharp edges down, before gluing the light fitting inside the burner top and reattaching the top to the body.

Cutting the burner bits for the light fitting

Okay, now for those enamel cups. You’ll need to drill a hole in the side of the cup towards the bottom for the electric wire to fit through. Enamel is a bitch tough to try drill into. Putting masking tape over the cup helps a little and gives the drill bit something to grip onto. Plus, if the drill slips you won’t end up with awful scratches all over your enamel cup.

The drilled holes will probably be a bit jagged and those sharp edges could be dangerous if they come into contact with the electrical wire. So to avoid a potential DIY catastrophe, insert a plastic pipe into the hole to protect the wiring.

Getting the cups ready

Enamel cups aren’t very heavy, so we filled them with a little bit of plaster of Paris to add some weight.

Plaster of Paris for weight

Once the plaster of Paris sets, you’re ready to put the light together. The hubby, who’s idea this was BTW 😉 knows about wiring things up. If you’re not sure how to do it, please, please get a qualified electrician to do this bit for you. Electricity is dangerous!!! I wasn’t allowed to take any pictures of him wiring the lanterns up, because he said I might get the instructions all wrong. Or something like that 😀 So here’s a pretty picture of the lantern bits and the plaster of Paris filled enamel cup before the wiring happened. Just a small hint – the wire goes up through the plastic pipe and then into the light fitting. The light switch goes on the outside of the enamel cup.

One down, one to go

Use steel epoxy to glue the burner onto the rim of the enamel cup, before adding a bulb and the chimney. Ta da, all done.

Isn’t she pretty? I love the soft glow and farmhouse feel of the enamel cup lantern. P.S. That orchid is from our garden. She’s in full bloom right now 😉

And even when the lights are off, I still think she looks stunning.

What do you think? Have you done something a little different with enamel cups? I’d love to hear about it.

You have orchids in your yard.... oh my that would be heavenly Michelle. The lanterns are readily available here and unfortunately not used because they aren't electric. This is a beautiful farmhouse conversion. Very well done.

Your imagination is something else!!!! It is always surprise me!!!! But I am jealous also for your garden... do you have orchids???? OMG! And one more question... this cross is something that we orthodox Christians we usually have in our homes... Are you an orthodox christian?

acraftymix

Thanks so much Christina. We have quite a few orchids in the garden and that white one just happened to be in full bloom when I took the photos. They are such easy plants, but I think our climate helps a lot. WRT your question about the cross - I'm not an Orthodox Christian, no, but I have a huge collection of crosses, and this one is one of my favorites. The Greek Orthodox community here in South Africa is quite small but the have the most beautiful churches.

acraftymix

What a great idea, Michelle! That looks so adorable! I do love enamel but have only a few pieces and there's no cup among them. Maybe one day I'll find one. It must be cool to be able to pick orchids in your garden.
Have a wonderful spring weekend! :)

acraftymix

:D Thanks so much Julia, that really means a lot coming from you. We're really lucky and have loads of enamelware in our kitchen and it's super cheap here in South Africa. I was actually quite shocked when I saw the prices on Amazon. Hope you have a lovely weekend too xoxoxox

Michelle, this turned into a lovely decor piece. I love the way it looks in your vignette. Perfect.
Enamel cups are so wonderfully farmhouse, and you've created a pretty piece that's also functional. I wish that I had a bit of electrical know how, but I bet Bruce could figure that part out for me. At least I hope so, want to make one for our bedroom too. Thanks for walking me through it!

acraftymix

Oh my Michelle you did it again! Your enamel lantern is amazing. Who would of ever thought of that except you. You have a brilliant mind that sees anazing things out of the simplest objects. I love the lantern, it is perfect for the farmhouse style.

acraftymix

Oh my Gosh, how do you come up with these inventions! I have seen these cups in our local dollar store and thought they were cute but the only thing that came into my mind was sticking a candle in them, that´s all. This is so beautiful and I´m sure glows so pretty Michelle, another one of your fantastic creations.

acraftymix

I just got a box of these at an auction, Wasn't sure what to do with them. But I think these will be super cute at our winter cabin and give more of a homey feeling than the standard lamps we have there. I'm not very good with stuff like this so I'll have to have a friend do it for me but I look forward to having them up there this winter.

I have never done anything with enamel. I have some but it is full of flowers and chipped. On the other hand I love, love, love how you repurposed your cup into a lantern. You should seriously consider selling these they are so cute. May you enjoy the coming of spring, the flower is beautiful.

acraftymix

Welcome

Hi, my name is Michelle or Mix to my friends. The hubby and I are so glad you popped in for a visit. We’re two IT geeks who freakin’ love making things in our spare time. And if we can re-cycle something at the same time, then we’re super happy. I hope our little blog inspires you to try do-it-yourself, so grab a cuppa and stay for a while.